Once in a Blood Moon
by B-LightWalker
Summary: During a blood moon, Zelda notices that her power doesn't work at her will, so she and Lynk decide to find out why. In the process of doing so, they learn about a new evil… A new evil that depends on the blood moon. (A requested post-game Breath of the Wild fanfic. Female Link named Lynk.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to me**

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Zelda watched as the last remnants of her Goddess given magic consumed Calamity Ganon and sealed him away. Her arm fell to her side and the column of light she had created to prevent Beast Ganon from fleeing faded away. The sky, once an awful mix of blood red and violet with clustered black and dark gray clouds, quickly became a bright blue. The scattered white clouds that came with it allowed the noon sun to shine on Hyrule Field.

A short moment of stillness followed before a small smile came across her face. She relaxed as she allowed herself to enjoy her freedom before tensing again at the sound of footsteps.

It was her appointed knight.

As the steps got closer, she found herself being slightly overwhelmed with emotions. She wanted to cry, she wanted to laugh, and a part of her wanted to do both. There were so many things she could do at this moment, but with everything she could do, she wanted to thank Lynk. "I've been keeping watch over you all this time… I've witnessed your struggles to return to us as well as your trials in battle."

Lynk stopped.

"I always thought—no, I always believed—that you would find a way to defeat Ganon." She turned around to face Lynk. "I never lost faith in you over these many years… Thank you, Lynk…" She put one hand over the other and her smile returned. "…the Hero of Hyrule." She hesitated for a moment before quickly building up her confidence to ask her question. "May I ask… Do you really remember me?"

A short but tense moment followed and Zelda found herself now biting her inner lip. What if Lynk didn't remember? Lynk was one of her only friends still alive. If Lynk didn't remember her, then…then what would she do? She took a breath and returned her focus to Lynk, only to see that Lynk seemed to be struggling to find her voice.

"Of…of course I remember you," Lynk said, her voice quiet but gentle and crisp. "I…I remember you better than I remember myself."

Zelda smiled, having missed hearing her friend's voice. Even though she had watched Lynk, she never actually heard her. She didn't hear anything but near deafening silence and Calamity Ganon for the past century. It was the Goddess' blessing that she was still sane. She went to Lynk's side and with a sigh, sat down in lush grass beneath her. Lynk sat down as well before calling over Epona. They stayed like that for a while, quietly enjoying each others' company. Soon, Lynk noticed that the sun was going to set, prompting her to speak.

"Princess, sorry for bothering you, but now would be a good time for you to go to Kakariko Village. I'm sure Impa wants to see you."

"I suppose," Zelda said quietly. She stood up and dusted off her dress. "Perhaps I can get us there. My power is considerably weaker, but it should be strong enough to get us there." She saw Lynk take a step back and take hold of Epona's reins. "Well, I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to get all three of us there."

"…That's fine. Get yourself there."

"But what about you?" she asked as she watched Lynk unhook the Sheikah Slate.

Lynk tapped the slate a few times before quickly giving it to Zelda. "I'll be fine."

"I know you will, but I don't want to leave you behind. Besides, what am I supposed to tell Impa when…when…" Zelda hadn't realized it, but her arms were turning blue. "Lynk?" The blue covered her entire body and the last thing she saw was Lynk waving good-bye to her.

* * *

Zelda reappeared on the Lakna Rokee Shrine Travel Gate and stumbled backwards, dropping the Sheikah Slate in the process. She stood frozen for a few seconds, trying to understand what had happened. It then dawned on her, and a wide smile came across her face. "The fast travel ability, of course!" She picked up the slate as she excitedly looked over it. She had seen Lynk use it, so why she forgot about it was beyond her.

Her excitement dulled down, however, as she realized that she didn't know what to do now. Lynk wasn't with her, and she had no clue where she was. She took a breath and started moving, deciding it'd be best not to waste time and find the closest settlement. She passed another shrine and soon saw the quiet but active Kakariko Village and tightened her grip on the Sheikah Slate before going.

As she headed to the chief's house, she felt the eyes of the villagers on her. She should've been 100% used to this, being Hyrule's princess and all, but the century spent with Ganon made it feel a bit foreign. The guards before Impa's house bowed, and she nodded her head in acknowledgment before going up the stairs. As she walked up the stairs, she saw a young woman waiting for her by the door. Upon making it upstairs, the young woman spoke to her.

"You-you're Princess Zelda, correct?"

Zelda nodded.

"My name is Pa… Paaa… Paaay… Paya! My name is Paya! I apologize for stuttering, especially when it's my own name. P-please, come inside. My-my grandmother has been waiting for you." She opened the door and allowed Zelda to step inside before doing the same.

An elderly woman sitting on a stack of pillows looked up from underneath her hat. "Well, well…look who decided to show up."

"Impa!" Zelda exclaimed. She went to her old friend and hugged her.

Impa returned the hug, and they stayed like that for a moment.

"You've changed so much," Zelda started. "If I didn't know any better, I would've mistaken you for someone else entirely," she gave a light laugh.

"Well, you have also changed. Haven't you?"

Zelda smiled. "I suppose."

Impa returned the smile before extending an arm towards Paya. "I'm sure you've met my granddaughter."

Zelda nodded.

"It-it is quite the honor to-to meet you, Princess Zelda," Paya said meekly.

"Same to you," Zelda said with a nod.

She, Impa, and Paya then spent the next few moments talking. It wasn't long after the conversation started that Impa suggested that Zelda rest. Even though she wasn't tired, Zelda listened to the elder, figuring it wouldn't hurt to get some rest. Following Paya upstairs, she was lead to a simplistic bedroom with a single bed. She placed the Sheikah Slate on the nightstand and sat down on the bed. She took off her shoes and jewelry before laying down and falling asleep.

Upon waking up the next morning, Zelda noticed a bedroll on the floor. She sat up and wondered, _Is Lynk here?_ She stood up and found the answer to her own question. _No, if Lynk was here, then there would be two bedrolls, not just one. This is probably Paya's._ With a sigh, she went downstairs an sat down besides Impa.

"Good morning, Princess," Impa said.

Zelda sighed before saying, "Good morning, Impa."

Impa noticed her attitude. "Is everything all right? You sound down for one who is no longer trapped with the Calamity."

"Yes, everything's fine. Thank you for your concern."

"Well, if everything's fine, then what's on your mind? Whatever it is, it's clearly bothering you."

Zelda shook her head. "Nothing's bothering me, I'm just thinking about Lynk. She gave me the Sheikah Slate so I could get here quickly, but what about her? I know she has Epona, but I don't know if she has access to a map. And the last thing I want is for her to get lost simply because she was helping me."

Impa smiled reassuringly, "You shouldn't worry yourself about such things, but if it helps, I'm sure Mistress Lynk has access to everything she needs."

"She better. Because we need to talk when she gets here."

"Well, it'll take a few days, so instead of brooding your annoyance for Lynk, perhaps you can meet some of the villagers. I'm positive they'll want to meet you."

Zelda considered the idea, but she wasn't sure how comfortable she would feel meeting new people right now. Well, it couldn't be that bad. She didn't talk to a lot of people, only Cado and Dorian.

The next day, she met Claree, the rather enthusiastic owner of Enchanted. Claree had offered to remake her field research outfit from 100 years ago. Zelda accepted, but then realized Lynk would probably have to go back to the castle to retrieve the design for the clothes. If they survived, of course. She promised Claree she'd have Lynk find the designs in the castle if they were close by. So for the time being, Zelda decided to get the Hylian set.

"Well, Mistress Lynk already bought a red Hylian tunic, so perhaps you'd want a different color," Claree suggested as she got a set of Hylian trousers and boots Zelda's size. "I may have a few dyed ones in the back. I can check if you want."

Zelda nodded, "Yes, please."

"What color?"

"Light blue." Zelda waited for a moment before seeing Claree come back with not only the tunic, but with a measuring tape, pencil, and paper.

Claree set the tunic down before going to the princess and measuring her. When finished, Claree said, "I have to fix the garment so it can fit you, but it should be quick. A day, at most!"

Zelda nodded, "Thank you."

"No problem!"

Right before Zelda left though, Claree suggested the princess take a bath, saying she'd look prettier without mud clinging to her face and hair. Zelda thanked her again, although now feeling a little embarrassed. But that explained why she didn't want to meet anyone. It wasn't that she was nervous, it was that she was subconsciously reminding herself that she had fallen in mud 100 years ago and still had the stains to prove it. But now that showering was on her to-do list, she remembered that she didn't have anything to change into.

When she went back to Impa's house, she asked Paya if she had any spare clothes that she could borrow for the day. Upon getting the clothes, Zelda went to bathe. When she came back, she, Impa, and Paya spent the rest of the day quietly chatting. It wasn't much, but it was enjoyable.

The next few days were pretty uneventful. Zelda spent most of her time with Impa and Paya. She was now wearing a light blue Hylian tunic and a pair of Hylian trousers. It was comfortable, but she missed her field outfit. Well, she supposed that gave her all the more reason to go to the castle soon. She flipped to the next page in a book she had picked up about Sheikah culture and something caught her eye.

"Impa, is this true?" Zelda looked at Impa.

"Is what true?" Impa asked.

"This." Zelda pointed to a section of the book before handing it to Impa. "It says that for the Sheikah, the cutting of hair is a way to symbolize renewal."

"That is true. I've never done it myself, but I know a few people who have. You remember Lady Elfrida, right?"

Zelda nodded.

"Well, you may not have known this, but Lady Elfrida was part Sheikah, so she took some parts of Sheikah culture to heart. The hair cutting being one of them. A while before you were born, Lady Elfrida cut her hair to represent a new era of her life."

"I never would've guessed."

Impa chuckled, "Well, Lady Elfrida _did_ like her privacy. And by the time you were born, it was long again, so she found no point in bringing it up."

"But why did she cut her hair? What was she starting over in her life?"

"Hmm… I have a feeling she wouldn't want us talking about that right now, so we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Just know that it means renewal to us Sheikah."

Zelda nodded and continued to read her book. She heard the door open and as she looked up, said, "Hello, Pay—Lynk!" She was happy; her appointed knight finally made it to Kakariko Village. However, she was also angry. Lynk had just shoved the Sheikah Slate into her hands without any explanation and just let her go. If she didn't know Lynk any better, she could've been sent off to Hebra or something. She closed her book and stood up. Zelda was going to kill her…

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 **(Hey, I wanted you to know that the story is being rewritten. Go to chapter 7/the notice for more info.) I hope you enjoyed this chapter of** _ **Once in a Blood Moon**_ **. And here's the part where I semi-promote myself. Feel free to leave a review, ask a question, or something. I don't know. You do you. Until next time. Bye~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to me**

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Zelda walked up to Lynk and pointed at her, "Lynk, I don't ask for much, so what I _am_ going to ask for, I expect you to follow. I'm asking you to never do that again. Is that clear?"

It took a moment, but Lynk nodded to show she understood. She pushed her bangs back, tucking any locks long enough behind her ear.

Zelda sighed, letting some of her anger melt away. "Regardless, I'm glad you got here safely."

"M-me as well, Mistress Lynk," Paya said.

"Paya and Zelda have a point," Impa stated. "Even though Ganon is gone, Hyrule is still lurking with monsters. Though I doubt that was much of a problem for you. And now that you're here, perhaps you could join us for lunch. Paya, you wouldn't mind cooking for our guests, would you?"

"Of course not, Grandmother. I'll-I'll be right back," Paya said before leaving the house.

Zelda looked at Lynk, she probably wanted to cook, but she didn't seem to mind.

Impa spoke up, "Mistress Lynk, now that you're here, you can take Paya's makeshift bed in her room. She'll be fine making another one."

Lynk nodded and started heading upstairs and Zelda went to sit down besides Impa. They talked for a little, and it wasn't long after that Lynk came back downstairs and Paya came in with the food. Unsurprisingly, Lynk finished her food first. However, even though it was clear she enjoyed it, she looked disappointed.

"What's wrong, Lynk?" Zelda asked.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just hungry," Lynk said as she reached into her adventure pouch. She started eating a meat skewer and when finished, she went upstairs.

Zelda quietly watched her as she took another bite of her own food. _I swear, her stomach's a bottomless pit._

She eventually finished her food and decided to go upstairs. She heard something and stopped. She leaned closer to the doorway and heard Lynk say no to something. She peeked into the room and saw Lynk make a dismissive shooing motion at something. However, she couldn't see what because Lynk's back was to her. Zelda decided to make her presence known and stepped into the room. "Lynk?"

Lynk swiftly turned around to face the princess.

"I heard you talking to yourself… Is everything all right?"

Lynk nodded.

Zelda took Lynk's word and decided not to ask anymore questions. She went to her temporary bed and Lynk sat down on her bed mat. Zelda picked up a book on the vanity that she had started reading a few days earlier and continued to read. At some point in her reading session, she found herself being distracted by Lynk and whatever she was doing on the Sheikah Slate. Zelda couldn't see anything, but Lynk was obviously keeping herself busy. But now that she was focusing on Lynk, she noticed some significant changes that she hadn't noticed earlier.

100 years ago, Lynk's hair was shorter than hers by a few inches, and now it surpassed hers by at least a foot. Lynk's bangs were longer as well; they constantly fell in her face, and it was almost second nature for Lynk to tuck them behind her ear whenever they fell. But whenever she forgot to, or didn't care enough to, they fell to her chin and completely covered her right eye. Appearances aside, Lynk's behavior changed. She wasn't as cold as she was 100 years ago, probably due to the lack of completely acting out of knighthood, and seemed more willing to talk. She was still quiet, though, which Zelda just believed was because Lynk wasn't much of a talker.

Zelda leaned against the headboard and let her mind drift off as she thought about Lynk's adventure. Lynk did a lot in the span of about six months. She met and helped a lot of people, freed the Divine Beasts, completed plenty of shrines… There was a lot she could think of that Lynk did. She then remembered that Lynk actually recollected some valuables that had been in Hyrule Castle before being stolen by some thief. She had to watch, too occupied by Ganon to do anything. Regardless, now that she was thinking about clothes, she wondered what other things Lynk had gotten. "Lynk?"

Lynk stopped messing with the Sheikah Slate and looked at Zelda.

"This is a strange question, but what equipment did you get on your journey?"

Lynk furrowed her eyebrows a bit.

"I'm sorry. I know it's a bit random, but I was just thinking about your adventure and I remembered all the different equipment you had."

Lynk put the Sheikah Slate down and removed her belt to give it to Zelda. Zelda started to dig through the pouch, and it wasn't long until she started marveling at some of the armor and weapons. They spent the next few hours talking about the armor and equipment. Well, Zelda did most of the talking, but she did require Lynk's input every now and then. They continued talking about the equipment until dinner was served, and when everyone was done, they all turned in for the night.

Early next morning, Lynk woke up and got dressed. She fought with her tangled hair as she tried to fix it into a ponytail. Zelda and Paya were still sleeping, so she decided to go downstairs. She saw that Impa was also sleeping, and how Impa slept sitting up was something she would never know. Regardless, being that she had nothing to do, her attention fell on the photo hanging on the wall. Quietly, she made her way over, her eyes narrowing slightly as she examined it.

The photo was a memorial of sorts of her downfall at Fort Hateno. The longer she looked at it, the more she felt the all-too-familiar overwhelming sensation that was usually associated with remembering something. But the image forming in her head wasn't of Blatchery Plain. In fact, the area didn't look like it was even close to Fort Hateno. However, before the memory could be recovered, Lynk turned her head and closed her eyes. Whatever memory was about to be retrieved faded away, and she was left with only the unclear image in her head.

She sighed, feeling a bit more at ease, and went to the Journal of Various Worries. A strange book in Impa's home that, as the name implied, anyone could write their worries in. She picked up the pen beside it and opened to a blank page. She stared at it for a moment before finally putting the pen to paper and began writing. It was a slow process, but she wrote down her recent experience with the photo. However, she was so distracted by writing that she hadn't realized that Impa had woken up. When Lynk finished writing, she closed the book and placed the pen back by its side. She stood up and was going to go back upstairs but was startled when she saw Impa staring dead at her. A quiet gasp escaped her and she took a step back, bumping into the desk.

Impa gave Lynk a small smile and said, "Now what has the Hero so troubled that she's writing in the Journal of Various Worries?"

Lynk felt hesitant to talk about her problem, so she instead opted for picking up the journal and giving it to Impa. She quietly said something along the lines of making breakfast and left.

Impa read the entry and found herself intrigued. She closed the journal, and instead of putting it back on the desk, kept it by her side. Not too long after, Paya and Zelda came downstairs. They sat on either side of Impa and stayed quiet for a moment before Zelda started talking. Lynk eventually joined them, though she didn't participate much in the conversation. However, when she did, it was a bit random and off topic.

"Do you want a tour?" Lynk suddenly asked the princess.

"What?" Zelda asked.

"A tour. Do you want one?"

"Uh, no, thank you. Kakariko Village hasn't changed much since the last time I was here."

"But the people have."

Zelda stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "You make a good point. Well, I suppose a quick tour couldn't hurt." Zelda stood up and followed Lynk.

The tour was nice, plenty of pleasant people to meet. And by the end of it, Lynk had trapped Zelda in a game of tag with Cottla. Lynk stayed with Koko, giving the young girl advice for her recipes. She saw Cottla and Zelda run past but also noticed that some of the villagers were making their way to Impa's house. She found it a bit strange, but remembered that the villagers were allowed to go to Impa's house as much as they wanted. Soon enough, Zelda joined her. The princess practically collapsed into the chair besides Lynk.

"Did you have fun?" Lynk asked.

Zelda gave a heavy sigh. Lynk suppressed a giggle at the princess' reaction. Zelda sat up and watched as Dorian went to his daughters and led them to Impa's house.

"Everyone's going to Lady Impa's house," Lynk said suddenly. "Something may be wrong." She stood up and made her way to the house.

Zelda caught up with Lynk and opened the door, only to see something completely unexpected.

"Surprise!" the villagers exclaimed in unison.

Zelda yelped and stepped back, almost bumping into Lynk. She took a breath to calm herself down and did her best to smile. "Th-thank you, but what is this for?"

"It's to thank you and Mistress Lynk for saving Hyrule," Impa said.

"Let's eat!" Olkin suddenly yelled, prompting everyone to take a seat either in the house or at one of the picnic tables outside.

Zelda had small talk with Impa, Paya, and every now and then, Lynk. Lynk left the conversation at some point and went outside. This allowed Impa to give Zelda the journal.

"Princess, Lynk wrote something that I believe you'll find interesting." She handed the journal to Zelda. "It's the latest entry."

Zelda opened the book and flipped through until she found Lynk's entry. She quietly read it and said, "So…Lynk started remembering something different than what she remembered the first time, although she already regained her memory for that photo. This is interesting, but it's confusing as well. How is Lynk remembering something different if it's triggered by the same photo? It makes no sense."

"Perhaps she's not remembering something entirely different, but perhaps an extension. Maybe what happened before."

"Possibly. Well, hopefully, Lynk won't mind talking to me about it."

They went back to light hearted chatter and it remained that way before Lasli came upstairs.

"Come on, the fireflies are out," Lasli said, a large smile on her face and turned to leave with everyone following her outside.

Light remarks about how pretty and lovely the sunset fireflies were filled the usually quiet night. Koko and Cottla started chasing some of the fireflies and it wasn't before Lynk joined them. Everyone was enjoying themselves, and either joined in on the chasing of the fireflies or watched. Pikango was behind everyone else and painted the scene before him. Eventually, everyone went home to rest for the night, and Kakariko's usual quiet returned.

* * *

 **Rwbyroxx:** Thank you!

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter of** _ **Once in a Blood Moon**_ **. And now's the part where I semi-promote myself. Feel free to leave a review, ask a question, or something. I don't know. You do you. Until next time. Bye~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to** **me.**

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Morning had come in Kakariko Village, and Lynk was walking throughout the village to gather supplies the princess would need for the journey to Hateno Village. Yes, the village was only a day's ride away, but things could happen. Meanwhile, Zelda stroked her new horse's neck; a mare Lynk named Hylia. Zelda gently slid her fingers through the finely combed mane, and watched the small glints of light that the royal bridle and saddle caught from the rising sun. Zelda smiled, feeling a bit nostalgic. Hylia reminded her of her old horse, a stubborn stallion she had named Amulet. But with any luck, Hylia would open up to her much quicker than Amulet did.

Zelda sighed, now waiting for Lynk to come back so they could start traveling. Not too long ago, she had done a minor training session with her sacred power. In all honesty, she was just messing around with it. She had remembered something that her mother had shown her involving the power; it could be used to retrieve and hold objects. She had told Lynk and, with a quick demonstration from her Magnesis rune, Zelda was able to practice. She had done so with apples, wildberries, and other small objects. She felt proud of herself; it was progress, not a lot of progress, but progress nonetheless. She saw Lynk finally come back to her own horse's side and put a few supplies in the saddle bag before going over to Hylia and putting the rest in.

Zelda looked at Lynk as she gave Hylia an apple before looking at Lynk's horse. It wasn't Epona, Zelda knew that much, but the horse did look familiar. It then clicked, it looked like the same horse Lynk rode 100 years ago. She only remembered that because it was the horse she used to dread seeing whenever she snuck out of the castle. If only she remembered the mare's name. She looked at Lynk and asked, "What's her name?" as she nodded to the dark brown horse in question.

"Blayre," Lynk answered as she messed around with Hylia's saddle. When she finished, she firmly patted Hylia's neck and looked at Zelda and said, "We can go now."

Zelda nodded and mounted Hylia and Lynk mounted Blayre. As they made it closer to the village gate, more and more villagers gathered to say their final good-byes and wish them good travels. Not long after starting the journey to Hateno, Zelda said she wished she had brought one of the Sheikah with her.

"Why?" Lynk asked.

"What do you mean why? I need to start rebuilding the kingdom. It is my duty, after all, as the princess."

"I know that. But why now?"

"It'd be best to start right away. The sooner the better, the early bird gets the worm, that sort of thing."

"But you just got free from Calamity Ganon. Don't you want to take a break?"

"I mean…a break would be nice, but I can't afford to wait."

"Why not? Are you afraid that no one will believe you if you wait too long?"

"It's not that—besides, I'm sure I have a pretty good argument for why people should believe I'm the princess and why the kingdom should be rebuilt—I just don't want anything to happen that would shake that belief."

"Like rumors?"

Zelda nodded.

"The gossip mongers from 100 years ago are dead."

Zelda sighed, "You know what I mean."

"I do, but I think you should still take a break."

Zelda took a minute before saying, "I suppose I can afford a break, but a short one," she added quickly. "I can't afford to wait too long."

Lynk nodded, and they continued in silence until they reached Fort Hateno. Deciding to take a break, they left their horses near a large tree and cooking pot. Lynk decided to stretch while Zelda investigated the broken down Guardians in Blatchery Plain. While poking around, she met Garill, a man who was greatly interested in the renowned warrior of Fort Hateno. She found the things he said involving the warrior sweet. Just knowing that someone would want to help 100 years ago felt nice. But the fact that he kept referring to Lynk as the warrior instead of by name said something. She found Lynk resting by the tree, eating some baked fruit.

"Lynk, would you mind answering a question?"

Lynk looked up at her.

Zelda took that as a yes and continued, "It's about Garill. He refers to you as the warrior, not Lynk. Have you never told him your name?"

Lynk shook her head.

"Why not?"

Lynk shrugged. "He never asked."

"And being that he doesn't know your name, I'm guessing he doesn't even know you're the warrior."

Lynk shook her head again.

Zelda sighed, "Lynk, that's cruel. He clearly looks up to you. Don't you think you should say something?"

Lynk stayed quiet for a moment before asking, "Like what?"

"I don't know. Perhaps something basic, like 'Hi, my name's Lynk. I'm the warrior from 100 years ago and I have the Master Sword to prove it.'"

"That's…a horrible way to greet someone."

"It was just an example, but if you think it's horrible, then you think of something."

Garill must've heard them arguing, because he came back to his cooking pot earlier than usual and immediately asked what was wrong.

Zelda made a gesture towards Garill, that, to Lynk, said, 'Say something!'.

Lynk seemed to ignore Zelda, as she started digging through her adventure pouch. "Nothing," she said, as she started putting away the soldier equipment, and instead took out some more…noteworthy weaponry. She sat up a bit as she cooly, and casually, placed the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield besides her. She looked up at Garill, "but thank you for your concern." She took out a slab of raw meat, some Hyrule herb, and a piece of rock salt before looking at Zelda. "Princess Zelda, is salted steamed meat okay for lunch?"

Zelda looked at Lynk, not expecting either Lynk's way of handling the situation or being thrown under the wagon like that. Though she supposed Lynk did what she asked and told Garill that she was the warrior, albeit, indirectly. Zelda nodded, "Yes, Lynk, that'd be nice." She looked at Garill and saw that he looked like he didn't know how to process the information he was given, as he was glancing between the Master Sword, the Hylian Shield, and Lynk. Zelda coughed into her fist, getting Garill's attention. "Do you wish to join us for lunch, Garill? I'm sure Lynk has more than enough for the both of us."

Garill took a moment to respond, but nodded as he joined Lynk and Zelda. The lunch was pleasant, though Zelda nudged Lynk halfway through and told her to never drag her into something like that again. Zelda sighed when lunch came to a close, having enjoyed the company of the only Hylian who knew about her and Lynk, but she knew that if they wasted too much time, they wouldn't get to Hateno before nightfall. She and Lynk mounted their horses and Zelda waved good-bye to Garill before they continued traveling. They rode in comfortable silence, save for something random that Zelda would occasionally say, but it would've continued to be near silence if Lynk hadn't spoke up.

"Princess, did you see what happened when I talked to the Champions?"

Zelda nodded, "Yes, I saw. You got their abilities."

Lynk nodded slowly, "About them… Well, about their spirits, to be more precise."

"What's wrong?"

"It's…" Lynk sighed. "It's nothing. Forget about it."

"Are you sure? Because whatever it is, it's clearly bothering you."

Lynk shook her head.

"Well, if you wish to talk about it, I'm here." She had talked to Lynk about her own personal problems plenty of times, so she hoped Lynk wouldn't mind talking to her about her own.

They rode for a while longer before taking another break near the Equestrian Riding Center. They rested under the roof of a small, market-like structure. Zelda closed her eyes and let out a content sigh, letting herself enjoy the air's warmth. However, she wished Lynk could do the same, as she was spending her time walking back and forth through the field. Zelda sighed, starting to get annoyed by Lynk's constant pacing, and walked into the field herself.

Lynk stopped when she saw the princess coming towards her.

"Lynk, what are you doing?"

"Thinking," Lynk answered quietly.

"And your way of thinking involves pacing?"

"You've never paced while thinking?"

"Of course I have, but I've never paced across an entire field."

"If you wish, I could ride a horse instead."

Zelda could hear a tone in Lynk's voice that suggested a challenge and decided not to humor her. "That wouldn't be necessary as we're leaving."

"Come on, you don't want to race?"

Zelda sighed, she knew it. "Not particularly. Besides, if we stay here too long, we won't get to Hateno before sundown. Let's go," she said, and started walking back to their horses.

Lynk walked up to her. "Just one race."

Zelda stopped in her tracks and swiftly turned to face Lynk. "If we race, will you let this go so we can get back on course?"

Lynk nodded, "I'll even give you a purple rupee if we don't get there before sundown."

Zelda sighed and shook her head as she followed Lynk to their horses. They lined up their horses and Zelda did the countdown.

"Three, two, one, go!"

And they were off! Being that the riding center wasn't big, they had to do multiple laps. As they got close to finishing the final one, Zelda started to get the lead. But with Lynk being as competitive as she was, she had to reach the goal first. And she did. A bright, and somewhat prideful, smile were now on her face, as she slowed Blayre to a walk. Zelda caught up to Lynk and sighed a little as she pet Hylia's neck.

"I think that's the closest I've ever been to beating you," Zelda said.

Lynk's smile was replaced with a look of curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry, I forgot you didn't remember. When you were teaching me how to get closer to Amulet, my old horse, you suggested a race. And if I learned anything from accepting that offer, I learned that you're quite competitive," Zelda said with a light laugh. She shook her head and continued, "We raced a few times, in Hyrule Field, of course; the last thing we needed was the attention of half the castle staff. Regardless, you won every race except the last one."

"What happened during the last race? Did you win?"

Shaking her head, Zelda continued. "Neither of us won. Amulet was stubborn that race and I fell off. You were quick to come to my side and made sure I wasn't injured. We…we never raced again after that. Except for now." She saw Lynk looking down, either from trying to remember the event or from being ashamed of herself. "But it was nice to race again, and Hylia's far less stubborn than Amulet." She heard Lynk scoff a little. "She's obedient and well taken care of, I can tell you trained her and not anyone else."

Lynk nodded her thanks and stopped Blayre by the broken down house before dismounting. Zelda followed her lead and let her curiosity take over as she started investigating the tiny home.

Lynk leaned against the doorway and watched before speaking up, "Could we go there one day?"

Zelda put down a chipped and dusty vase. "Where? Hyrule Field?"

Lynk nodded.

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt." Zelda then stayed quiet as she tried to choose her words carefully for her next question. "Are there…any other places you wish to visit regarding memory?"

It took Lynk a moment before shaking her head.

"Are you sure? If it's close by, like Fort Hateno, I wouldn't mind taking a detour."

Lynk simply shook her head again.

"Well, if you think of anything, let me know."

Lynk nodded and looked at the distant mountains and saw the sun was setting. She looked at the princess, "Hateno."

"Hateno?" Zelda gasped, "Hateno! Goddesses, I completely forgot about it. Well, I suppose the only thing we can do now is wait until morning." She saw Lynk digging through her rupee pouch before taking out a purple rupee and handing it to her. Lynk started leading the horses back to the structure Zelda was under earlier and made a small fire. She took the bedroll off of Hylia's saddle and handed it to Zelda before sitting down.

"You're not going to use your bedroll?" Zelda asked.

Lynk shook her head as she placed two apples in the fire. When done, she handed Zelda her baked apple before eating her own. She carelessly tossed the core into some bushes before going to feed the horses, making a note to get some feed for them when they made it to Hateno. They stayed quiet before Zelda spoke up.

"Lynk, about the race."

Lynk looked at her.

"Why did you want to race? It was sudden and, even with me knowing how competitive you are, it was completely unexpected."

Lynk looked at the ground. Why _did_ she want to race all of a sudden? She tried to remember from earlier that day. She felt…something telling her to race. Something telling her to enjoy herself. That something must have been an unrecovered memory. Perhaps she raced here with someone 100 years and was subconsciously trying to remember it.

"If you don't wish to tell me that's fine," Zelda said. "I'm not going to force you."

Lynk nodded before sighing quietly and laying down.

Zelda decided to lay down as well. "Goodnight, Lynk."

"Goodnight, Your Highness."

11:30, flecks of black and fushia began to appear in the sky. 11:40, the flecks grew in both number and size and spirals of black smoke rose from the ground. 11:50, the sky turned blood red and the clouds followed as they were stained with black and red themselves.

Midnight, the blood moon rises once again.

Lynk was forced to wake up because of the horses; their loud, disgruntled neighs followed by the sound of galloping hooves told her something was wrong. She quickly stood up, feeling slightly dazed. She saw a skeleton's arm coming out of the ground before a full Stalkoblin emerged, followed by more Stalkoblins and Stalmoblins. While Bokoblins and Moblins were being reanimated, she grabbed a spear and a bow.

She then realized that she didn't know where Zelda was. She pushed back a monster that had gotten too close for comfort before calling out for the princess. She heard nothing but the growls of the monsters. She threw the spear at a Moblin before quickly readying her bow.

* * *

Zelda observed the pair of Yiga carefully, one a footsoldier and the other a blademaster. They made sure to talk quietly but would occasionally talk loud enough for her to hear. She kept hearing something about the Hero, so judging from her current situation, they meant to grab Lynk, not her. Which meant she was now being used as bait. She needed to figure out how to escape her captors and find Lynk. She wasn't bound, so she could run, but she was too slow to outrun Yiga.

Zelda eyed her surroundings, trying to get a grasp of where she was. She and the Yiga were in the ruins of a stone building. There was so little building left that only part of a wall remained. She then saw the vicious sickle that was near the footsoldier and remembered her 'Magnesis' ability. The objects she had practiced with were smaller and lighter than the sickle, but if she concentrated enough, she should be able to do the same with the sickle. There was a river nearby, perhaps she could throw it in there. She shifted in her spot and put her hands on her knees.

"Hey!" the footsoldier screamed at her. "Don't even think about it. Or else."

Zelda nodded a little before looking back at the sickle. She focused on it and watched as golden trickles of magic grabbed the sickle. She felt worry fill her, the magic was visible and she didn't know how to change it. Her magic slowly started moving the sickle towards her. However, she started to feel exhausted, as if using her powers, even for the most basic things, was too much for. She let out a sigh and refocused on the sickle. Suddenly, she felt resistance and the sickle broke from her grasp. She looked up and saw that the footsoldier had gotten his weapon.

"Forget this," he said. "I'm tired of waiting. Either she comes to us or we go to her."

"Patience is key," the blademaster said. "She'll have to come up here if she wants to face us."

The footsoldier looked over the field. "I don't even see her."

"Then that only means she's a coward." The blademaster stood up. "If she's not here anymore, then we have no reason to be. Let's take the princess and get back to the hideout." He was about to grab Zelda before pausing at hearing rustling. "Or maybe she's not a coward after all." Both Yiga grabbed their weapons.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Hylian Champion," the footsoldier said in a singsong voice.

They started looking around, and Zelda did as well, hoping she would find Lynk before them. She heard light sloshing and looked towards the river and saw Lynk…dressed in Sheikah stealth clothes. They made eye contact and Lynk put a finger over her mouth. Zelda nodded before looking back at the Yiga, their backs were to her. She looked back at Lynk and nodded, not that Lynk indicated she wanted verification. Lynk silently reached the hill's peak and started heading towards the Yiga.

Lynk aimed for the blademaster first. The blademaster was sent rolling down the hill and his partner quickly joined him. Lynk quickly descended the hill and pointed her blade at the Yiga. She gave them a nasty glare, the footsoldier was scared and backed up, the blademaster on the other hand, was unphased. He simply stood up and said something that Lynk didn't understand before both he and the footsoldier disappeared.

Lynk stood there for a moment, repeating the words the Yiga said in her head. She didn't 100% understand it, and she knew Zelda wouldn't, but the more she repeated it to herself, the more she did. 'This isn't over Hylian Champion. Not even close,' that's what the Yiga said to her. How she understood, she didn't know, but it didn't matter, she needed to get to the princess. She sighed before sheathing the blade and scaling the hill. She pulled down her mask and said, "It's almost morning, we should get going."

Zelda nodded and followed Lynk to retrieve their frightened horses. Zelda packed up her bedroll while Lynk changed. When Lynk came back, she was wearing the Hylian tunic instead of her Champion's tunic. Zelda guessed that something happened to the tunic during the fight. They mounted their horses and started for Hateno Village.

* * *

 **My friends—are childish—wanted me to ask. Just how old do you guys think I am?**

 **Rwbyroxx:** Eh, well, chapters can take a while. But it's summer, so I should be able to work on it a bit more. Of course, homework still exists.

 **Henri9897:** Hmm, it's not often that I get questions like these. Question one: there will be romance, of sorts, but it's pretty one-sided, and it won't become part of the main story. Question two: Yes, the new bad guy will be an oc. It's just that I barely touched their concept, though. Which is a problem. Question three: I'm gonna have to say probably for both. This story, in a way, isn't focused on Lynk. So if I include her past, and if you read _Fate_ (which you shouldn't), there would be inconsistencies. There might be small tidbits of her past, though. Unless, that's not what you meant by Lynk being explored more. The Yiga on the other hand, have a larger chance of being explored. Unless, this isn't what you meant either. If it's not, feel free to specify.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter of** _ **Once in a Blood Moon**_ **. And now's the part where I semi-promote myself. Feel free to leave a review, ask a question, or something. I don't know. You do you. Until next time. Bye~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to me.**

* * *

The trip to Hateno Village was silent; the weight of the early morning's events still weighing on Lynk and Zelda. Zelda recalled how Lynk looked in the Sheikah stealth gear; her weapon strapped to her lower back in tradition of Sheikah warriors and her hair done in a style similar to Paya's. The only thing Lynk was missing was white hair and red eyes.

They arrived at Hateno and Zelda followed Lynk across a bridge to a house in the back of the village. Beside the house was a large tree with a thick canopy, under it, a cooking pot and two men who seemed to be making themselves at home. They brought their horses to a small stable-like covering connected to the house before going inside.

The house was a bit dusty but it felt cozy. Zelda looked around before noticing the mounts on the wall. She walked up to the weapon mount holding Mipha's Lightscale Trident and carefully touched the weapon. She looked at the other mounts and saw Daruk's Boulder Breaker, Revali's Great Eagle Bow, and Urbosa's Scimitar of the Seven and Daybreaker. She also saw a royal shield and bow and a bow and shield she didn't recognize.

"Sorry for the mess," Lynk said as she wiped some dust off the table.

"It's fine." Zelda pulled out a chair and dusted it off before sitting down. "This is your house?"

Lynk nodded.

"Then…what about those men outside?"

"They were going to demolish the house, but I bought it and had it renovated," Lynk explained.

"How long have they been waiting by the cooking pot?"

"Since I bought the house."

"Really?"

Lynk nodded.

"Well, that must be…interesting to wake up to."

"If you want, I can send them away," Lynk suggested. "I usually do it when I plan on staying for more than a few hours."

Zelda shook her head a little, though Lynk could see that she did want them to leave. Regardless, Lynk nodded and went to the weapon mount with the Lightscale Trident. She carefully removed the trident before retrieving a cloth and sitting down. Zelda quietly watched as Lynk meticulously went over the special silver Zora metal that let Mipha's spear be both durable and beautiful.

"Even after all these years, Mipha's spear is still as beautiful as ever," Zelda said.

Lynk nodded a little as she continued.

Zelda looked at the others. "They're all still lovely, even after all this time. How come you have the Champions' weapons on display?"

"They're valuable."

"I know that, but you didn't use them, even when fighting Ganon."

"I didn't want to break them."

Zelda nodded.

"Their spirits," Lynk suddenly brought up.

"The Champions' spirits?"

Lynk nodded.

"What about them?"

Lynk placed the spear back on its mount before grabbing the Scimitar of the Seven and sitting back down. "I think…I think their spirits are tied to me now."

"What do you mean?"

"They gave me their abilities in a Spirit Orb and now it seems like they're trapped, but instead of being trapped inside their Divine Beasts, they're trapped with me."

Zelda thought about what Lynk had said before replying, "Perhaps the Spirit Orb isn't just a name and actually contains part of their spirit. So when they gave it to you, perhaps part of their spirit fused with yours."

Lynk slowed in her cleaning.

"Lynk?"

Lynk shook her head. "I'm fine." She placed the scimitar back on its mount before heading towards the door. Zelda took that as a sign to follow Lynk and they started heading to a strange building behind the village.

"What is this place?" Zelda asked, observing the building's strange design.

"The Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. Purah's the director."

"Purah?" Zelda stayed quiet as she tried to remember seeing Purah during Lynk's adventure.

Lynk opened the door and Zelda saw a young Sheikah girl standing on a stool and a Sheikah man looking at a bookcase in the back. Both of them had their backs to Lynk and Zelda and were too busy talking to notice them.

"Is she…?" Zelda trailed off.

Lynk nodded.

"Dr. Purah?"

The young girl jumped slightly and spun on her heel to face them and adjusted her glasses. A smile came across her face. "Well, what do we have here? It's been a while, Princess. 100 years to be exact! Tell me, do I look a day older since the last time you've seen me?"

"No…but you should," Zelda answered before walking up to Purah. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing important. Just part of an experiment."

"An experiment gone wrong, I assume."

Purah huffed and childishly stomped her feet. "How rude! I am one of Hyrule's most esteemed ancient Sheikah tech scientists, I deserve some respect."

Zelda ignored her and put a hand to her chin. "Interesting. It seems that your failed experiment not only turned you into a child physically, but also turned you into a child mentally. To a degree, of course," she added.

Purah huffed again, this time settling for puffing up her cheeks as she crossed her arms and turned her head. "It's nice to see you too, Princess."

"Oh, sorry, Purah. I didn't mean—"

"Nah, it's fine." Purah looked at Zelda again. "At least what you said was better than what Lynk said."

Zelda looked at her appointed knight, who was talking to the Sheikah man by the bookcases. "What did Lynk say?"

"'Aren't you a child?'! I know coming to such a conclusion is reasonable, but I have never felt more insulted."

Zelda smiled sympathetically, "I'm sure Lynk meant well."

"Meant well with what?" Lynk suddenly asked.

Zelda saw Lynk holding an envelope with a Sheikah seal on it, so instead of answering Lynk's question, she asked, "What's that?"

Lynk shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't checked."

Zelda nodded and looked back Purah, and then noticed the intent look on her face. "Dr. Purah, is that yours?"

"No, but I thank you for asking," Purah said. "But I'm not going to lie, I have no idea what's in it. Why don't you open it, Lynky?"

Lynk thought about it for a moment before saying, "I'll open it later."

"Aw, you're no fun, but I still want to see what's inside, so don't open it without me."

Lynk nodded a little, somewhat agreeing with Purah's terms.

Purah looked at Zelda and adjusted her glasses. "So, Princess, tell me what you think about this, your own personal, Purah-made Sheikah Slate. It wouldn't be nearly as advanced as Lynk's, but it would have the Camera rune, the Hyrule Compendium, _and_ the Sheikah Sensor +."

"You should try to add the regional maps," Lynk said.

"Regional maps?" both Zelda and Purah asked.

Lynk unhooked the Sheikah Slate and showed them the Sheikah Slate's map feature. Purah, amazed, took the slate and looked over the map. She knew there was a stamp feature that'd be useful for a map, but she didn't know about the actual map. Well, she knew of its existence, but she never saw it until today. As she began to take notes about the map feature, she and Zelda started making hypotheses about how it worked and it wasn't long until Symin joined.

However, it was getting late, and the lab wasn't designed to hold guests, so Lynk and Zelda had to return to Lynk's house. On the way, Zelda snapped her fingers, as she remembered that she wanted to ask Purah a question. When they arrived, Lynk showed Zelda the loft where a bed was available for her. Zelda gasped when she made it to the loft, having seen an all too familiar photo.

Zelda went up to the photo and her fingers gently touched the frame. "How…how did you get this?" she asked as she looked at the photo that she and the Champions took after the inauguration ceremony.

"Kass," Lynk answered.

Zelda looked at Lynk, confused. "Who's that?"

"He's a Rito musician who helped me when I was traveling, he was also a student of the Sheikah court poet."

"Hibiki…"

Now it was Lynk's turn to be confused. "Who?"

"He was the Sheikah court poet." Zelda saw Lynk look at the ground, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

Lynk sighed and nodded, "It's late, you can have my bed. Goodnight, Princess."

"Oh, uh, goodnight, Lynk." Zelda then gasped, suddenly remembering something. "Lynk, wait!"

Lynk stopped by the door.

"You wouldn't happen to know where the clothing store is, would you? It's just that…I would prefer to not sleep in my travel clothes if possible."

Lynk stayed quiet for a moment before answering, "After you cross the bridge, you'll see a small farm, the clothing store's on the right."

Zelda opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Lynk.

"You'll probably need more rupees for whatever you're trying to buy." Lynk dug through her rupee pouch before taking out a silver rupee, "Here." Zelda came down to get it and they both left the house before splitting up, Lynk to the back of the house and Zelda to the store.

Zelda found it a bit strange that Lynk wasn't accompanying her but pushed it off as she made it to the Ventest Clothing Boutique. She met Sophie, the somewhat shy shopkeeper, and was given a simple nightgown. When Zelda made it back to the house, she still didn't see Lynk. She left the red and two blue rupees she was given as change on the table and went upstairs to change. When finished, she looked over the loft's railing to see if Lynk had come back, only to see that nothing changed. She sighed, deciding that she'd talk to Lynk in the morning and went to bed.

* * *

Lynk made a tch sound before removing a few pins in her hair and letting it fall back into place. She sighed and placed her hands on the sink before looking at the mirror. She sighed again and pushed back her bangs. She picked up the materials again and restarted the mundane process of getting her hair in the proper style for when wearing her Sheikah stealth armor. She groaned when she messed up and let her hair fall again. She glared at her reflection, greatly agitated by her inability to get this down.

Lynk didn't know why getting this down was so important to her, but it was. It probably had something to do with her past for why she cared so much about her hair and how quickly she could get it done whenever it came to her Sheikah armor. She didn't worry about it before, but when she had to save the princess she suddenly did. She couldn't leave it in her usual ponytail, it'd drag along the floor and give her way to the smarter monsters. She closed her eyes and lowered her head as she placed her hands back on the sink, and tried to recall anything that would explain why she was doing this. She didn't remember anything, but a part of her felt that the blood moon and the Yiga Clan were partially responsible for this.

Lynk growled before snatching up the Sheikah Slate. She opened the map and glared at Hyrule Castle. "I don't understand. You're gone. How are you still bothering me and why are the blood moons still here?" Her attention was then drawn to Karusa Valley. "And your clan is getting back together. I don't know how you're doing this from your seal but I'll find out." She then heard herself and pinched the bridge of her nose. Calamity Ganon wouldn't be able to do this from his seal, so what was?

Lynk sighed, concluding that she had been up to late, though she had stayed up far later before. She decided it would be best for her to rest and started picking up her belongings. She got her bedroll from Blayre's saddle and went back inside. She changed and laid down and let out a tired sigh, she could investigate the blood moon later.

* * *

 **Rwbyroxx:** Thank you, and believe it or not, I'm actually closer to _turning_ 18\. Just a few more years.

 **Henri9897:** You're welcome and thank you for the compliment.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter of** _ **Once in a Blood Moon**_ **. And now's the part where I semi-promote myself. Feel free to leave a review, ask a question, or something. I don't know. You do you. Until next time. Bye~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to me.**

* * *

Lynk was just guessing, but for some reason, talking to the chief seemed to be the last thing Zelda wanted to do. When she and the princess were eating breakfast, Zelda told her the change in plan. She decided she wanted to deal with the tribes Lynk helped first, then deal with the Hylians. Zelda said something about how the non-Hylian chiefs knew what she did for their people, and how that would somehow make dealing with the Hylians easier. But Lynk wasn't 100% sure how that would make it easier. Of course, if a long-living tribe like the Zora supported you and your apparent role, then everyone else would probably start supporting you as well.

Zelda and Lynk slowly trekked up the pathway to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. Zelda wanted to finish yesterday's conversation, and ask Purah a question she deemed rather important. She opened the door and saw Purah standing on the same stool from yesterday. She appeared to be reading some book. Zelda walked up to Purah, who turned to face her and Lynk after the door was opened.

"And how can I help you, Your Highness?" Purah asked cheerfully.

"Purah, I was wondering if you have any books regarding the blood moon."

Purah put a hand to her chin, "Now that's a strange request. Why do you ask?"

Zelda messed with the end of her tunic and said, "A few nights ago, Lynk and I were attacked."

"Woah! Are you two okay?"

"We're fine. But I believe that night was a blood moon night. When I was still trapped with Ganon, I found it the most difficult to keep it at bay whenever it was a blood moon. Overtime, I came to the conclusion that was when Ganon's power was at its peak. Earlier that day, I had been messing with my power. Albeit very drained, I can still use it. On that night, during the attack, I was held captive by two Yigas. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try using my powers to escape. However, when I did, I felt a great pain in my hand. I think the blood moon has something to do with it."

"Why didn't you say anything yesterday?"

"I guess it didn't come to mind. But my hand did hurt yesterday, possibly from the blood moon being so recent."

Purah took Zelda's hands in hers.

"It doesn't hurt anymore," Zelda reassured her.

"Well, that's good."

Zelda put her hand back by her side, "Do you have any books, Purah?"

"Of course," Purah hopped down from her chair then said, "Symin! Search for any and all books that so much as mention the blood moon."

"Isn't that a bit much?" Purah heard Lynk say.

Purah turned on her heel to face Lynk, "To the average person, maybe. But to a researcher, it is never enough."

"Once again, isn't that a bit much?"

After a while, the few tables that were in the room were stacked full of books. Some were about the moon, and some were about the blood moon alone, but most randomly mentioned it at some point. Zelda grabbed one of the books and sat down at a table and began reading. Purah and Symin joined her in her research, each grabbing a book of their own to read.

Lynk watched them for a few minutes. Each focusing intensely with paper and pencil to scratch down notes. It was only morning, she wasn't about to read the rest of this day away. Zelda didn't say anything or order her to pick up a book. Zelda probably forgot she was even there. Or was it more of a self invite situation? If so, it wasn't a self invite she was accepting.

She quietly left the lab and took the Sheikah Slate and opened up to Zelda's album. Maybe she could try hunting down some unphotographed memories. But where to? Not remembering much about her past meant she didn't really know where to go. Maybe she could get a memory involving one of the Champions. Or perhaps get a memory involving something more personal, like her family. But where in Hyrule would she go to retrieve a memory like that?

"What if I try getting the memory I pushed down?" she said to herself, "To the Great Plateau Tower," she set the Sheikah Slate to fast travel.

Her feet hit the tower's Travel Gate. She looked over her surroundings before running and jumping off the edge and pulling out the paraglider. She gently glided down and landed on the damaged road. She defeated a Blue Moblin and began traveling into the Outpost. A part of her believed the memory occurred here. Of course, the posts were badly decayed, so she didn't have a physical trigger for the memory.

"The photo!" she suddenly said aloud, "I can't believe I forgot."

She opened the Sheikah Slate's album and went to the photos she took. She tapped the photo of the ruined field in front of Fort Hateno, then closed her eyes and sighed. She opened her eyes and studied the photo for a moment. Nothing was coming to her. She sighed again, now feeling a little defeated. She messed this up. Big time. There was no way she could remember now.

"Nonsense, Lynk. There's always another way," she said confidently, and continued travelling into the Outpost. "Maybe I need an object-based trigger. Like Daruk's mountain side statue."

Lynk poked at any nook and cranny she could find. She spent a few hours traveling around the Outpost, East Post, and even went to Proxim Bridge. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She was getting frustrated. So much time spent with no results whatsoever. Maybe she really did blow it. She couldn't help but feel a little defeated. Lynk opened the map, ready to go back to the tech lab.

"Hang on for a second, little lady!" a voice suddenly blared.

Lynk shrieked and almost dropped the Sheikah Slate. She turned and saw Daruk's spirit next to her. Lynk, panting slightly, placed a hand on her chest. "Daruk, please," she breathed out.

Daruk awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry about that. But have ya tried Eldin yet?"

Lynk shook her head.

He gave her a toothy grin, "Well, ya should! Trust me. If ya wanna remember anything, that's the place to go."

She slowly nodded. She tapped the Slate a few times but realized that Daruk was still there. She looked back at her friend. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothin'. Just Revali complainin'."

"About what? What else could he possibly have to complain about?"

Daruk opened his mouth but then shook his head. "Never mind. Besides, he'll probably tell ya when ya get to good ol' Death Mountain."

Lynk fast traveled to Eldin Tower and when Daruk appeared beside her she asked, "Where to?"

"Go on the road and then look around. You'll find it."

Lynk nodded and Daruk disappeared as she glided to the path. She started sweating immediately upon landing and went digging through her pouch to find her flamebreaker helm. She put it on and began exploring. Hopefully, this would lead to better results. As she walked, she let her mind wander.

It was strange, now that Ganon was gone, the Champions' spirits were _actually_ with her. Before, she only heard their voices telling her she could use an ability again. Now, they would actually show up in spirit form. Fortunately, they now knew when she actually _wanted_ to use one of their abilities, and she no longer had to 'disable' and 'enable' an ability. She had no clue how that worked but it did.

Now although she didn't have to disable an ability anymore, she still did. And in the few days she had been living threat free, she used it the most with Revali. Speaking of which, she still hadn't enabled him from that night in Kakariko. She went over whether or not enabling Revali's Gale would be worth it. She decided it was and reluctantly enabled it. Almost immediately she regretted it.

Revali appeared beside her and began his incessant squawking. "Honestly, for someone who barely talks, your voice has to be the most grating in Hyrule. Seriously, who just talk to themselves out in the open like that?" And he continued his ranting.

Lynk gave a small huff. She should've expected Revali to give her one of his 'lectures.' But she'd been doing it ever since she woke up. And she was pretty sure Rhoam saw her do it a few times while she was still on the plateau. She now heard Revali telling her how she was failing to do her job as Zelda's appointed knight.

She defeated a Fire-Breath Lizalfos and continued. Soon enough, she found herself standing in front of an incline that lead to the back of Gorko Tunnel. She squinted and focused on the area more intensely. There was something here, she knew it. She looked at it for a few more seconds before letting her shoulders slump a bit from disappointment before clutching her fists in slight frustration.

"I don't understand."

"Don't understand what?" Revali asked, a slight mocking tone in his voice. He probably thought of 20 different insults while saying that one sentence alone.

She looked at him for a few seconds. She almost forgot he was there. She huffed, "I don't understand what I'm doing wrong."

Revali opened his mouth but Lynk continued.

"The outposts weren't enough, _this_ wasn't enough. What am I doing wrong? I'm in the right area, I know I am! I can feel it," she looked back at the incline. "So what am I doing wrong?"

Revali scoffed, "If you ask me, I'd say everything."

Lynk inhaled sharply before turning her head toward him. "Revali. I'm telling you now. I'll stop disabling you, if you stop bothering me. Now shoo," she made a shooing motion with her hand.

Revali hmph-ed before turning into a tiny green-teal colored flame and disappearing. The tiny flame was the form the Champions used if they wanted to talk to Lynk but were in a populated area. Each Champions' flame color corresponded with the Spirit Orb they gave her, each with a small hint of teal. Mipha was blue, Daruk was red, Revali was green, and Urbosa was yellow. She could call on them any time she wanted to, but didn't most of the time. She was fine talking to herself. But even then it didn't feel right.

She fast traveled back to the tech lab. She landed on the Travel Gate and she did her best to enter as quietly as possible. Purah, Symin, and Zelda were still reading the books and still had notes beside them. The only difference is that the books were now stacked on the floor. She figured it wouldn't hurt to put them up, and to also clean up the papers and other books Purah left littering the floor.

So she spent the next few hours cleaning everything she could up. When she finished, the room was considerably cleaner than before. She sat down at a table and opened the Slate's album again. Attempt number two for the Outpost memory. It didn't make sense. In Impa's house, the portrait helped her start remembering. Now she felt just as lost as when she woke up!

After a few minutes, the sound of a book closing and a sigh was heard. Zelda picked up her notes and quickly read them over. "Well, I'm finished. What about you guys?"

"I am!" Purah said, closing her books with a loud slam.

"How about you, Symin?"

"Almost," Symin muttered.

"And Lynk?"

Lynk made a small sound that could be labeled as either confusion or worry.

"It's fine. I know you don't have an answer. Because you weren't here. Where were you?" Zelda crossed her arms.

"Traveling," Lynk answered.

"I know that. But I didn't ask you what you were doing, I asked you where you were."

"I went to the outposts and Death Mountain."

"Why?"

"I was memory hunting."

"Oh. You could've at least said something," Zelda muttered.

"I'm sorry. I will next time."

Zelda slowly nodded before turning back to Symin, "Symin, are you done yet?"

"Almost," he said again.

Zelda sighed before taking her notes and giving them to Lynk. "If you don't mind, can you read over these and mark anything that seems off? You've personally experienced the blood moon many times, so I believe you're the appropriate choice for this."

Lynk pushed her bangs back and took the notes from Zelda, Purah, and a finished Symin. As she read, she learned that the blood moon has been around for as long Hyrule has. However, there seemed to be many hypotheses about why it's here, and who caused it and such.

One was that during Hyrule's creation, Farore created the monsters as a way to teach survival skills to the first tribes. But as the tribes grew, she needed to find a way to keep the tribes on their toes without exhausting herself from recreating the monsters. And so, she created the blood moon. Some books said Farore had help from the other goddesses, and others say each goddess has a role to play involving the blood moon.

Another hypothesis said goddess Din was solely responsible. A group of Hylians did something that angered Din so greatly, that she created the blood moon as a way to punish them. Lynk didn't think that one made sense. Another one that claimed Din was responsible, said that she made it to help the land replenish itself after certain periods of time.

One involving Nayru, said she created so it would help the world balance itself between good and evil—and Lynk was done. She tossed the notes onto the table and shook her head. Even if she didn't find everything 100% beneficial, she would still hang onto it for later.

"I guess my notes need to be changed," Zelda said, picking up her sheet.

"Half of it doesn't make sense," Lynk replied.

Zelda nodded and handed Purah and Symin back their notes. "I agree. I thought some were unreasonable as well, but I believed it could be important for later."

"You really bothered writing down that foolishness?" Purah intervened.

"I figured it wouldn't hurt."

"It's not going to help you."

"It's not going to hurt me either," Zelda retorted.

Purah placed her hands on her hips, "Well, fine. Do what you want. But it's late, so if you want to talk, come back tomorrow or talk to Symin. I'm going to bed," she hopped off the stool and with a small grunt of effort opened the door and began making her way upstairs.

Symin looked at Lynk and Zelda for a moment before adjusting his glasses. "Do you need anything, Your Highness?"

Zelda shook her head, "No. But thank you for the offer."

He nodded and began picking up anything Lynk forgot.

Zelda turned toward Lynk and said, "Let's go back to your place. We'll rest for the night and start our journey to Zora's Domain in the morning."

Zelda left the lab and Lynk followed.

As they walked back to her house, Lynk decided to speak up, "Why the research?"

Zelda turned to her, "I just wanted to learn more about the blood moon."

"And your hand?"

"W-well, the story behind it is basically what I told Purah."

"You didn't tell me."

"I guess I didn't want you to worry. You've already done so much for me and Hyrule. You worrying about my hand feels so…unnecessary."

Lynk didn't say anything and they soon walked into the village.

"Lynk, I noticed your hair was damp yesterday. I was wondering what you were doing."

"I was messing with it."

"What for?"

"I change my hairstyle depending on my head dress. I made sure I could still do my hair quickly despite it being longer. But can you explain how hair can grow a foot in length in two months time?"

"Well, consuming a lot of elixirs can disturb your body's hormonal balance. A side effect of that is abnormal hair growth."

"That explains a lot."

They made it to the house and Lynk stayed outside to cook dinner while Zelda went inside and up to the loft to change. When Zelda went back outside, she saw a bowl and fork resting on a towel and Lynk eating from a bowl herself. She went to pick up the bowl, but Lynk warned her that it was hot. She made sure to grab the bowl from under with the towel and blew off her food before beginning to eat. After a few minutes, Lynk finished but Zelda was barely half way through. Zelda looked at Lynk who was just staring at the flames.

"Lynk," Zelda started, "if you don't mind, I was wondering if you recovered a memory during your travel."

Lynk's ears lowered, and she looked at the ground.

"Oh, Lynk, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be."

"Huh?" Zelda saw that Lynk was looking right at her.

"There's always another way."

She noticed her friend's ears returned to their original position. "Well, if that's how you see it, then it's fine," Zelda said with a slight nod.

"Princess, if I gave up whenever something was a bit difficult, you would've never been saved."

Zelda poked at her food. "You know, it's funny," she looked up and saw Lynk was looking at her. "A hundred years ago, when my father kept pushing me to continue prayer, I felt like such a failure. To not only him but the kingdom. But now I realized he did it because it was best for the kingdom. It was never to torture me. It was just for the kingdom. But a part of me always wanted to quit and run away. But…I hated the thought of quitting so much that I kept going at it. I guess…during all of that…I learned perseverance. And I'm glad I did. Dealing with the Calamity was difficult, and I would've never survived if I wasn't pushed as hard as I was."

"You remind me of a vehvi in Gerudo Town."

"'Vehvi'?"

"It means child in Gerudo. The girl wanted to plant in a dirt patch. She did everything right. However, there was garbage in the water trough. She was crying and said she should just give up, then said she didn't want to. And she didn't. By the time I came back, she had full grown wildberry bushes."

"Well, good for her!" Zelda could only imagine how good those wildberries tasted.

"Point is: you persevered through a kingdom's expectations, prayer rituals, and Ganon. She persevered through a gunged up water trough. You're both resilient. Just in your own ways."

"Yeah, I guess we are." Zelda finished eating and started entering the house to go to sleep, but then heard a loud chime. She panicked for a second before seeing Lynk pick up the Sheikah Slate. "Is something wrong?" she went to Lynk's side.

"Did you take this?" Lynk asked and showed her the Slate album.

Zelda looked at it and noticed the small red embers in the photo. She shook her head, "No. The only picture I took of Eldin shows Hyrule Castle. This shows the side of Death Mountain, perhaps?"

"No, I-I've been here recently. It's close to Death Mountain. It's where I—" Lynk cut herself off with a groan.

She dropped the Sheikah Slate, and Zelda put a hand on Lynk's back as she leaned against the tree.

"Lynk, what's wrong?" Zelda asked, "Do-do you need something?"

Lynk didn't respond.

"Come on," she pulled at Lynk's arm, "Let's go inside. I'll get you a glass of water." Zelda led Lynk to her bed and pulled back the blanket so Lynk could lay down, but Lynk spoke up.

"I'm fine. It's just a headache," she groaned.

"I think it's more than that. You should rest. I'll—"

"I'm fine. I need fresh air, I'm going back outside," Lynk started going downstairs but Zelda ran in front of her and blocked the door.

"Lynk, please. Just listen. I think you should rest. Go back upstairs and—"

"I'm fine," Lynk insisted.

"Please stop cutting me off. But since you refuse to rest, tell me what you were going to say earlier."

Lynk massaged her temple. "My head," she groaned quietly.

"Lynk," she gently placed her hands on Lynk's shoulders.

"It's where I went today," she said after a moment of deep breathing.

"You're in no condition to keep this up. Please. Just go upstairs, lay down, and I'll get you something to help you with your headache."

Lynk sighed quietly and just went back to the loft. Zelda figured that Lynk's headache was so bad that she wasn't willing to fight anymore. Zelda went back outside and found not only the Sheikah Slate but Lynk's belts. She grabbed both and went back inside. She dug through the pouch and soon found a fruit cake. Her favorite dessert. She sighed, resisting the urge to eat it, and starting heading upstairs.

"Lynk, I found something that might help your—" Zelda saw Lynk's clothing carelessly thrown on the floor. "Lynk?" she placed the plate on the nightstand.

Lynk had covered her head with the blanket.

"Lynk, are you okay?" she placed a hand on her knight's shoulder.

Lynk didn't say anything.

 _She must've fell asleep,_ Zelda concluded, _Hopefully some sleep will help her rid of that headache._ She went to Hylia and removed the bed mat from the saddle and went searching through Lynk's pouch and found a blanket. She went upstairs and set up her makeshift bed. She sighed and laid down. As she drifted off, a part of her hoped Lynk ate that cake before she woke up. If not, it was hers.

* * *

Lynk groaned and put a hand on her forehead, hoping to sooth her headache. Her other hand was resting on her stomach, which she let slide onto her bed. She gasped lightly and bolted upright. She immediately regretted that action since it made her headache worse, but carefully observed her surroundings. Not much to see. The sky was white, the 'walls' were white, the floor was white, the only major difference was the fog surrounding…wherever she was.

She didn't notice it at first, but the air around her was cold; Hebra cold. She shuddered and her teeth started chattering. She stood up and then hugged herself in an attempt to preserve her warmth. This would've been better if she was wearing clothes. But she was only wearing the undergarments she fell asleep in, a strapless bra and a pair of boy shorts underwear. Man, she hated her clothing choice.

She looked around and rubbed her arms. She had to start moving. She would freeze to death if she stayed here. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flicker of light and quickly turned her head. The light flickered again and she started walking towards it. It appeared again and she couldn't resist the urge to get to it and started running. Gradually, the air went from cold and dry to warm and humid. Her feet started hitting dirt and the area around her soon turned into a forest. The only thing that didn't change was the fog.

Soon, she recognized the area as the Lost Woods. She was left panting, her pursuit for the flashing light, fruitless. She saw the torch at the woods' entrance and walked up to it before sitting down besides it. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. She wanted to get to that light. It was comforting, and she wanted it more than anything while she was…here. Her inability to find it reminded her of her trip to the outposts and Eldin. All of them ending in bitter failure.

Suddenly, she heard a chime. It sounded like a mixture of the chime sound the Sheikah Slate made and a high pitched bell. She looked up and saw a sky blue orb floating about a foot from her face. She saw tiny humanoid figure in the orb, and although she couldn't make out any details, found it a bit cute. Oh, great. Now she was just like Mipha with her Divine Beast. Regardless, she hesitantly stretched out her hand to see if the human-orb-thing was tangible. Her finger barely touched the orb before it zipped away.

"Hey, wait!"

* * *

Lynk's head and back hit something with considerable force and she let out a loud grunt.

"Lynk?" Zelda's voice sounded soft. Lynk heard footsteps, and then princess' voice now sounded much sharper and louder. "Lynk!" A split second later the princess was leaning over her. "Oh goddesses, Lynk, are you okay?"

Zelda was already dressed for the day. How long was she asleep? Lynk raised her hand to grab something to host her up and felt the bed sheets in her hand. She must've rolled off the bed, and her head must've hit the nightstand as well as the floor. Zelda stretched out her hand to help Lynk up and Lynk accepted the offer. Lynk dusted herself off and stretched a little.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Lynk nodded.

Zelda felt a little hesitant to accept Lynk's answer but she wasn't moaning and groaning like she was last night, so that was a plus. "Well, if you don't mind, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind escorting me to Akkala to talk to Robbie about the blood moon."

"You don't have to ask," Lynk said simply.

"Well, I figured it wouldn't hurt to. You probably have your own plans and I wouldn't like to hinder that."

"Princess, my plans are your plans."

Zelda gave a huff of a laugh, "Thanks, I guess." _So informal,_ Zelda thought. "Oh, before I forget. Lynk, I know you're respecting me by calling me princess and so on, but for the time being, can you only call me Zelda?"

"But—"

"Think of it as a pass, for being my friend."

Lynk stayed quiet for a moment. Not really sure how to deal with the new information. She then decided to do a slight bow. "Thank you…Zelda."

Zelda nodded, "Come on. We should start getting ready. It'll take us a few days to get to the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. And, also, sorry about the cake," she quickly went back downstairs.

 _What cake?_ Lynk thought. She pushed it off and got dressed before following Zelda outside and helping her prepare for their journey.

* * *

 **James Birdsong (Guest): Thank you!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter of** _ **Once in a Blood Moon**_ **. And now's the part where I semi-promote myself. Feel free to leave a review, ask a question, or something. I don't know. You do you. Until next time. Bye~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to me**

* * *

They only stopped by Dueling Peaks Stable because Lynk wanted a different horse. While waiting for Lynk, Zelda talked to a man named Hino. He was a man with an interest for and a vast knowledge about the blood moon. Hino claimed tonight's moon would be a 13th day moon. Zelda couldn't help but think he was foolish. It's only been three days since the last blood moon, meaning the next phase was going to be a crescent moon. Besides, with Ganon gone, it'd be about two months before the next blood moon. Regardless, she kept talking to Hino until Lynk came back with Blayre, a mare equipped with a traveler's bridle and saddle.

The next day, they arrived at Kakariko Village. They went to Impa's house and saw that nothing really changed.

"Back already?" Impa asked. "My, you made quick work of Hateno."

"Actually, there's been a change in plans," Zelda said. "I'm going to Akkala to talk to Robbie about the blood moon."

"Oh? And how many times did you change your plan before settling on this one?"

"Um… Lynk?" Zelda looked at her appointed knight.

Lynk stayed quiet before saying, "About five times."

Zelda pressed her lips, not exactly willing to admit that.

"I appreciate the visit, Princess, but it would probably be best if you started traveling again," Impa stated. "If you start traveling now, you can make it to Wetland Stable while the sun's still up."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

Zelda turned to Lynk. "Um, Lynk, would you mind giving us some privacy?"

Lynk, although confused, complied with the order. She went outside and stayed there for what felt like an hour. She sighed, bored from her wait. When Zelda came out, Lynk felt like she's been waiting for an eternity. Zelda apologized, saying that the conversation took longer than she thought. She then said that she needed to make an elixir and they went to the cooking pot.

When done, Zelda took her elixir and put it in one of Hylia's saddlebags. It would be fantastic for helping with any ailments, such as headaches. They started traveling again after passing the East Akkala Stable, Zelda remembered the cliffhanger she left Lynk on about the cake. "So…you're probably wondering what I meant earlier when I apologized for eating your fruit cake."

Lynk looked at her.

"Well, fruit cakes are great for relieving headaches; I planned on giving it to you but you fell asleep. And you already know why I ate it."

"It's your favorite food," Lynk stated, remembering what the cookbooks in the castle library said.

Zelda smiled a little, "Yes, it is. You know, I was thinking, with it being so close to Akkala, going to Goron City first seems to the fastest option for our reunification of Hyrule. Of course, King Dorephan and Prince Sidon are still alive after all these years. Perhaps visiting Zora's Domain first would be best." Zelda sighed, "I just can't decide. What do you think, Lynk?"

"I think…that you're a bit indecisive."

Zelda stuttered, "Uh, how rude!"

"Not in an offensive manner. You have multiple goals and that's good. But you can't seem to decide which one to focus on. Hyrule's reunification is important, but when deciding how to start, you can't decide."

Zelda huffed, "I may call you a friend, Lynk, but don't forget that you're still talking to your boss." She saw Lynk look away before suddenly getting off her horse. "Lynk, what are you—oh, wow!" She dismounted Hylia and ran over to where Lynk was. "A properly functioning decayed Guardian! This is absolutely fascinating. Who knew that once the Calamity was gone that these things would still be capable of working. Has Robbie seen this yet?"

Lynk shrugged.

"I'll go get him," Zelda said excitedly as she went back to her horse and went up the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab not too far up the road.

Lynk walked around as she examined the decayed Guardian. It whirred its head and its gaze passed over her. She involuntarily flinched and took a step back before it started looking around for something else. She pushed her bangs back to get a better look and went closer to examine it even more. She poked it a few times, wondering if this was a trick. A few more minutes of examination and she started to feel uncomfortable; as if she was being watched. The feeling persisted and she couldn't stand it anymore.

She started going to Blayre before suddenly hearing a laugh. She swiftly turned around and saw a Yiga blademaster. The fight lasted far longer than she would've liked and when it finished she was left slightly disheveled. She cleaned herself up and led Blayre to the tech lab, now wondering what was taking the princess so long. She opened the door and saw Robbie and Zelda chatting. Zelda turned around and waved to Lynk.

"Hello, Hero," Robbie greeted. "The Princess and I were just talking about the Guardian outside. Is it true that it's working?"

"It's defective," Lynk said simply.

"What do you mean?"

"I was fighting a Yiga blademaster and it did nothing."

"Perhaps it doesn't recognize them as enemies," Zelda suggested. She saw Lynk make a face and go back outside. Zelda would've gone after her but figured it'd be best if she left Lynk alone for the time being. She turned back to Robbie and continued their conversation.

* * *

Zelda put down the book and sighed. Lynk slipped out earlier that day, probably to do more memory hunting. She went back to her notes, most of which was the same; explanations about the blood moon and hypothesis about why it came to be. She then remembered Brigo. If what he said was correct, then tonight would be a 26th day moon. But why? Why would the moon phases still be shortened if the Calamity was gone? She then heard the door open and saw Lynk. Judging from the look on her face, she hadn't been successful.

"No luck?"

Lynk shook her head and sat down by the desk; there weren't many places to sit down in Robbie's lab.

"If it makes you feel any better, we're heading for Zora's Domain tomorrow."

"How the Farore is that supposed to make me feel better? We're going so you can research the blood moon."

"Well, you're good friends with the Zora, are you not? That means you'll remember something."

"I'm friends with the Gorons and I still remembered nothing."

"That doesn't mean you won't remember anything else. Perhaps it's because there's no one to help guide you through the memories. For example, I told you about our races. In a way, that acts as a guide. Prince Sidon and some of the others remember you, so that may help."

Lynk stayed quiet as she thought about this. "I guess…" She then crossed her arms and leaned against the desk. "I hate that thing."

"Hate what? The blood moon?"

"What else?"

Zelda was a bit worried about Lynk's attitude. "Well, it's-it's not that bad. After all, without it, you wouldn't be able to get new materials."

Lynk considered that for a second before scowling; the amount of trouble that thing caused her was too much. "It's aggravating. You don't know how many times I decided to rest at a monster camp only to be stabbed in the middle of the night."

Zelda took note that Lynk talked more when annoyed and gave her friend a soft smile. "Well, since I'm traveling with you now, we certainly won't be getting in that problem again."

"No, we definitely will. The next blood moon will happen either while we're leaving Akkala or when we're on the road to Zora's Domain."

"Oh."

"And when the blood moon happens, you won't be able to do much. You've only trained with your powers once. Training once isn't good enough for fighting monsters."

"Well…maybe you can help me. You know what it takes to properly fight. Perhaps that can be applied to the Goddess' powers."

Lynk stayed quiet for a moment. She didn't know the first thing about magic. "I'll…I'll see."

* * *

While traveling, a shortcut Lynk found made it quicker to get to Wetland Stable. And by shortcut, Lynk meant monster camp. Zelda scolded Lynk for a good hour after that incident.

"You are supposed to be my appointed knight, what were you thinking?!" Zelda said.

Lynk didn't answer and just continued going to the stable. Regardless of Lynk's horrible definition of a shortcut, the trip to Zora's Domain was still the same three day trip. Surprisingly enough, the blood moon didn't happen while they were traveling. Zelda thought that it either did happen and they didn't see it or that Lynk's guess was off. They arrived at Zora's Domain and the first Zora to greet them was Prince Sidon himself.

"Princess Zelda, Lynk!" Sidon exclaimed before running up to them. "I have been wondering when you two would arrive. I must thank you personally for all you have done for not only the domain but for Hyrule as well!"

"Thank you, Prince Sidon," Zelda said with a slight bow.

Lynk simply nodded her thanks.

A bright smile came across Sidon's face. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to our humble domain?"

"We're researching the blood moon," Zelda answered.

"The blood moon? Interesting. I assumed you would be here for diplomatic reasons."

"In a way I am, but I think it'd be best to keep a low profile for the time being. Especially with the Yiga Clan still active."

"Ah, of course. They are quite troublesome."

Zelda nodded, recalling the incident at the Equestrian Riding Center, "Indeed they are. Would you mind telling us what you know about the blood moon?"

Sidon shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you much, but my father may be able to."

"Well, then would you mind bringing us to him?"

"Of course not. Follow me." Sidon turned on his heal and lead them to the throne room—area, technically. "Father, look who has decided to visit us." He went to his father's left-hand side, opposite of Muzu.

"Ah, Princess Zelda, it's a pleasure to see you again after all this time," Dorephan said with a smile.

Zelda nodded, "As with you, King Dorephan."

"Tell me, what brings you here."

"I am researching the blood moon and was hoping you would be able to tell me about its effects on the domain."

He put a hand to his chin and thought about it for a few minutes. "Well, as we all know, the blood moon resurrects monsters, but for us Zora, it also intensifies the current. The strengthen current is dangerous, even for our strongest swimmers. And even on the day of a blood moon, you can see the current getting stronger."

"I see. Thank you for telling me. Well, I suppose we should get—"

Sidon interrupted her. "Leaving so soon? You've gone through a lot of effort to get here, take a few days to yourself. It will help relieve the aches from your long travels. And besides, what's the point of researching the blood moon if you're not going to observe it yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the blood moon is close by. Close enough that you and Lynk shouldn't mind staying for a few more days."

"Well…" Zelda thought about it for a minute. "I suppose we can stay for a few days."

"Wonderful! I'll have rooms prepared immediately," Sidon said before running off.

"Rooms?" Lynk quietly asked no one in particular.

A hearty laugh came from King Dorephan. "Take it as a sign of our hospitality."

"Yes, hospitality…" Muzu muttered.

After a few moments of light chatter between Zelda, Dorephan, and Muzu, Sidon came back and led Lynk and Zelda to their rooms. They walked past rooms Lynk didn't know the domain had. Simple but beautiful designs on each door and along the walls. They stopped at a door and Sidon did a slight bow. "Your room, Princess."

"Thank you," Zelda said before entering her room. Sidon went in with her, telling her some important information about the room and such.

Lynk felt a bit confused. She was Zelda's appointed knight and as such was supposed to guard her. But what was she supposed to do when the princess retreated to her room? Oh, yeah, she was supposed to guard the door. When Sidon came back to the hallway, he took a few steps to lead Lynk to her room before realizing he didn't hear any following footsteps. He turned around and saw Lynk standing by the door.

"Lynk?" A few seconds of silence and he understood why she was standing there. "Oh, right, you're her appointed knight. I almost forgot. Well, I have assigned two guards to watch over the princess so you can take a break from your duties." He saw the hesitant look on Lynk's face before she gave a slight nod. He took it as a sign to continue and lead her to her room. He opened the door to her room and stepped in with her. "I hope you like it. I tried to get you a room that gave you a clear view of the waterfalls. Which are lovely to watch at night."

Lynk gave a slight nod.

"Oh! Lynk, before I forget. The other members of the Bazz Brigade and I were wondering if you wouldn't mind spending some time with us later today."

Lynk stayed quiet as she thought about it. All of the brigade members were on duty, weren't they? But they must've been off duty if he was suggesting it. "That'd be nice," she said.

"Wonderful! Follow me. We're going to Veiled Falls."

Lynk was a bit surprised; she didn't think he meant now. As she followed him, she saw there were guards in front of Zelda's door. It was an hour or so walk to Veiled Falls but when they got there Lynk saw that her old Zora friends were there. None wearing armor and each enjoying the water. Bazz was the first to notice them coming and ran out of the water.

"Mistress Lynk!" he exclaimed. He then trapped her in a hug before letting her go. "Come. Join us in the water. It feels fantastic today."

Lynk watched as Bazz returned to the water and was followed by Sidon. She felt like she was watching children play when they were all technically adults. The order from oldest to youngest may have been Rivan, Gaddison, Bazz, her, and then Sidon. She watched them swim and race each other up the waterfall. She took her boots off and rolled up her pants before stepping into the water. Bazz was right, it did feel nice. She closed her eyes and stayed like that for a few minutes, enjoying the cool water.

It wasn't long after that Rivan swam up to her. "Mistress Lynk?"

Lynk opened her eyes and looked at the Zora.

"I apologize if this is too personalize, but do you remember when we were kids?"

She shook her head.

"Really? We would swim and train together."

"That sounds…familiar." Bazz told her that she trained him, not that she trained the others.

"Well, do you remember the day we met?"

She shook her head and water sloshing signaled the others were swimming towards her.

"Well, even if you don't remember, I remember quite clearly," Sidon said with a small, wistful smile.

She stayed quiet as she dug deep into her memory. Perhaps she would remember something from that day. Nothing came, and she sighed before looking at Sidon. "Can you tell me about that day?"

"Well, I…I've never been good at telling stories, but I will certainly try my best," he said with a nod. He went on land with Lynk and sat down. "Well, when you first came, you were tagging along with your father on a platoon to the domain. I saw you coming to the throne room with your father but you ran off to play with the other children before entering. I wanted to join you and asked Mipha if I could. She said yes, and then I found you with—"

"Lynk!" a voice suddenly called out.

Lynk turned her head and saw the princess heading toward her. She moved around Sidon and went to Zelda.

"I was looking all over the domain for you. Why didn't you at least tell me you were going somewhere?"

"I—" Lynk started before being interrupted by Sidon.

"It's my fault, Princess," Sidon said, getting up. "I invited Lynk to Veiled Falls and didn't give her any time to tell you. I'll make sure to do so next time."

Zelda looked at Sidon for a few seconds before nodding and looking at Lynk. "Are you coming with me to observe the effects of the blood moon?"

Lynk's ear tilted, confused why the princess would bother asking the question, and then nodded.

Sidon gasped. "You can do that?"

"Do what?" Lynk asked.

"Move your ears."

"She does it all the time," Zelda said.

"She does?"

I do? Lynk asked herself.

"You should've seen her during her adventure. She was talking to a man in Gerudo and it was fantastic. She got this look on her face, and her ears completed the look."

Light laughter came from the Zoras as they imagined what the context could've been.

Zelda giggled herself before looking at Lynk again. "Regardless, Lynk, are you fine coming with me now or do you want to wait?"

"I'll come now."

Gaddison quickly spoke up. "Wait! May we tag along, Princess Zelda? Lynk's only just arrived and it'd be a shame to spend such little time with an old friend."

"I don't see why not. Lynk, are you fine with them coming?"

Lynk nodded.

"Perfect," Bazz said, getting out of the water. "We'll get our armor and we'll meet you at Great Zora Bridge." He went to the edge of the cliff and jumped off and into the water. He was quickly followed by Rivan and Gaddison.

Sidon looked at Lynk. "I believe that going to the Bank of Wishes will be the best place to see the blood moon's effects."

"The Bank of Wishes," Zelda repeated. "How far is that from Zora's Domain?"

"Very," Lynk said, showing Zelda where the bank was on the map.

Putting a hand to her chin, Zelda said, "Well, judging from the map, I'd say that's at least two days of traveling. Maybe if we had our horses… Never mind. I forgot the road's far too uneven and slick for horses."

"Forget about traveling by foot or horse, when you can travel by Zora," Sidon said boldly.

Zelda blinked. "Excuse me?"

"When Lynk needed to get to Vah Ruta, she rode on my back. Perhaps you could do the same. Now, I don't believe I can carry both of you, but Bazz may be able to carry one of you."

Zelda looked at Lynk before looking back at Sidon. "I suppose it's worth a try."

"Wonderful! Come, the faster we get back to the domain, that faster we can get to the bank."

They followed Sidon into the domain and waited by Great Zora Bridge. When the others arrived, wearing their armor and equipped with spears, they went to the side of Zora's Domain. Lynk and Zelda climbed down a ladder and stood on a lower part of the domain. Zelda went on Sidon's back and Lynk went on Bazz's. Using the river, they made their way to the Bank of Wishes. But due to Zelda having no experience holding on to a jumping Zora, they had to go farther downstream before getting on land.

During the trek to the bank, the group, excluding Lynk, talked about the old times. Sidon and Bazz did try to get her to participate in the conversation multiple times. Unsuccessfully, however. Lynk heard a sound and let the group get ahead of her before investigating. It sounded like a rock hitting something. She saw an Octorok in the water and quickly took out a bow and arrow. She pulled the arrow back and…the Octorok squealed and disappeared in a cloud of smoke…? She lowered her bow, greatly confused by what had happened. It wasn't her arrow that did that… She took a moment before putting the bow and arrow away. If it wasn't her, then who did it? She thought about the possibilities before concluding that it was probably some monster failing to hit its prey.

She turned to catch up with the others but suddenly felt something hit her back. A small noise escaping her mouth before she fell to the ground. She felt the wind knocked out of her and grit her teeth as she started to push herself up from the ground. Her arms failed her and she sighed. Take your time, Lynk, she told herself. She took a few deep breaths before trying again. She then heard a sickeningly familiar laugh and knew she wouldn't get to her feet fast enough and opted for getting the Master Sword instead. She retrieved the blade and rolled onto her back before swinging at her attacker. The Yiga blademaster hopped back, realizing that even when down, Lynk was still a challenge.

In the time it took for this happen, someone acknowledged that she wasn't with the group anymore. She heard the sound of metal hitting metal and saw Sidon with his Zora sword against the Yiga's windcleaver. She attempted to get to her feet and failed yet again. Then a black, clawed hand was offered and she accepted it. With Bazz's help, she got to her feet. She leaned against a tree as she watched Bazz and Sidon deal with the Yiga blademaster. When done, they went over to her and asked if she was okay. Through a somewhat incoherent mumble, she told them she was, and they started to catch up with Zelda and the others. And then…

* * *

Lynk stayed quiet as she did her best to keep up with a man. One hand messing with her knee-length dress while the other was in the man's hand. Was she in trouble? Did she do something wrong? Yes, she knew she ran off, but the man didn't say or do anything to stop her. She followed him into a room and saw some Zoras lying or sitting on beds. The man lifted her onto a bed and told her to take off her shoes. While she wrestled with her boots, the man talked to one of the Zora nurses. The nurse nodded and walked away, and he helped her take off her other boot. He rolled up her pant leg, revealing a bruise on her leg. The man sighed and looked at her. She looked at her dress and started wrinkling it again.

The nurse came back a few minutes and handed the man a small container. The man thanked the nurse before taking off one of his gloves and opening the container. He dipped his fingers into the salve and went to apply it. Lynk panicked and scooted back and covered her legs with her dress. She hated salve; they were always too cold. The man said something and she took a moment before moving back towards him. She flinched when the man applied the salve to her bruise.

When finished, the man rolled her pant leg down and helped her put her boots back on. Lynk hopped off the bed and dusted her dress off. The man put his glove back on and squat down to be eye level with her. He said something and she nodded. He then smiled and ruffled the girl's hair, causing her to giggle. She then followed him outside and gave him a hug before running off again.

* * *

Lynk slowly opened her eyes. That dream was…interesting, to say the least. It wasn't the most informative dream—or memory—but it was certainly interesting. The man's face had been a blur, but she knew when he was saying something and what expression he was doing. Which didn't make sense since she couldn't see his face or hear a thing he said. She sighed and relaxed for a few minutes before a familiar voice caught her attention. She saw Sidon and Zelda talking to a Zora nurse before heading towards her.

"Lynk, are you…are you feeling any better?" Zelda asked quietly.

Lynk nodded.

"That's fantastic news," Sidon said, keeping his voice down in respect of the others in the infirmary. "We were worried something horrible had happened after you collapsed."

Lynk stayed quiet for a moment. "Collapsed?" she brought herself to ask.

"Yes. Unfortunately, we didn't get far before you did."

"I don't understand," Lynk said as she attempted to sit up. "What do you—ugh!" A sudden pain shot through her back.

"Lynk!" Both Zelda and Sidon exclaimed.

"Okay, relax. You just need to lay back down and rest," Sidon said as he helped Lynk.

Lynk groaned, "What happened?"

"I was hoping you would be able to tell me," Zelda said.

Lynk stayed quiet as she did her best to recall what happened before she passed out. But it didn't help that she didn't remember much. But she did remember the riverside, the Octorok, and then…nothing. Her fingers messed with the blanket as she tried to remember what happened after the Octorok. A few minutes of thoughtful silence and she finally remembered hearing a laugh and gasped, "The Yiga Clan."

* * *

 **SmokyMirrors (Guest): Why, thank you. And trust me, I will.**

 **Rwbyroxx: Here it is, horribly delayed! And thank you.**

 **I'm sorry for this being so late. And for this being as late as it is, it feels a bit rushed—to me, anyway. If you also think it seems rushed, please tell me. I'll see what I can do to fix that.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Once in a Blood Moon. And here's the part where I semi-promote myself. Feel free to leave a review, ask a question, or something. I don't know. You do you. Until next time. Bye~**


	7. Chapters 3 & 4 rewritten

Like the chapter name implies, chapter 3 and 4 have been rewritten and chapter 1 had an error fixed. (I actually finished these a while ago but I was busy with ZeLink week on Tumblr (XeLynk, really…).)

Hey, look, the notice keeps changing but says the same thing every time, 'cause I'm incredible like that. This is not a hiatus, it's just that to me, half the story's either rushed/and or cringy. I'm a far better author now, so I'm fixing the screw ups of younger me.

If you write a review during this time, they will be answered on this page. And when chapter 7's officially posted, they'll be in the author's note section at the end of the chapter like always. Anyway, until next time. Bye~

 **Rwbyroxx:** Breath of the Wild 2 hype is real! I want this game. My thoughts on it are a bit all over the place, but I'll try to make this short. Ganondorf (at least the corpse we assume is Ganondorf)- Obviously did something that caused the teal hand to do something to him and hold his corpse for the past 10,000 years. Zelda - Her short hair has a symbolical meaning and may hint to what'll be in the game. In Japan, the cutting of hair means renewal. So Zelda cutting her hair not only symbolizes the renewal of herself, but also the renewal of Hyrule. Okay, for what the short hair may mean for the game. This Zelda (her model) is very unique compared to the other Zeldas; her hair isn't one segment like the others, it's split into several parts at the end. It's safe to assume we'll be traveling with Zelda in-game, (who knows, maybe we can even switch between her and Link or do co-op w/ her) and if that's the case, having her hair short will make it easier for the developers. Hair's a bit complicated to animate, so by making it short, they don't have to worry about physics all too much. Link - Something happens to this poor boy's hand. It looks like he absorbs the magic that the teal hand is made of and it looks like he either loses control of his hand or is in pain. If Link gets magic or somethin' though, I am down. Misc. - I hope they don't get rid of ancient Sheikah tech. I know it's not the main focus of the game, but getting rid of it would be like getting rid of the Ocarina of Time in Majora's Mask simply because it's a sequel. I don't need shrines, I just want the Sheikah Slate and Sheikah Towers. (Maybe Zelda can use the slate or something, I don't know.) Not really something to do with the trailer, but just something I want in the game. The slate wasn't in the trailer and the most Sheikah looking thing there was the armband the teal hand had, so yeah. ( **This is so long, I'm gonna have to shorten this when I post chapter 7.** )

 **Rwbyroxx:** True, the Hero does look like a Gerudo voe, but it can't be Ganondorf. Impa said that the Hero in the tapestry had the soul of the Hero and the Master Sword. That doesn't mean Ganondorf couldn't have been good, it just means he couldn't have been the Hero. As Ganondorf would have become the Calamity, the Master Sword would've rejected him, as it could probably sense his upcoming corruption. (Also, Grammarly had one job and it failed, so now I am personally checking everything. But thank you for liking the new version, that means I'm doing my job.)


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